cleanorbust

In my experience the best bike always seems to be one a rider used to own or the one he is going to buy next. We're driven by rose-tinted memories or blind optimism, rarely by satisfaction with the current state.

I think twostrokefourstroke actually meant that a Ducati powered trials bike would have been inspired by Peter Gaunt's idea, which would probably be correct given the age of the Gaunt Ducati. I don't recall any prior to that. 2/4 seems to be correct in pointing out that the Ducati picture posted by Ducman is the same bike as pictured here.

Ah, I thought Sandiford's might still have documentation on the old Montesas but at least it now seems pretty clear what you have. Is the engine all in one piece? Hopefully the holes will line up when it's fitted into the frame, in view of the modification which appear to have been made. I had a slight alignment problem when fitting a replacement engine in my Cota 247 but got round it by using a smaller diameter bolt. The 348 had an unusual set-up with the drive chain - it ran through plastic tubes instead of using a normal tensioner. These tubes tend to be missing on old 348s but they are available new from Inmotion. Keep us updated as you build up the bike, advice should be available here as needed!

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Thanks. Sandiford Off-road (try googling them) may have historical records of the frame/engine number dating as they were the importers for Montesa. The silencer indicates 348, not 349. Seems the bike is therefore a 77/78 model. One thing worth checking is whether there is any damage/evidence of repair to the frame near the headstock as some 348 frames snapped in that area. A good source of commonly needed spares/information is Inmotion trials (again, Google them).

Frame number stamped in the headstock area, engine number stamped on top surface of the crankcases.

The S registration would be right for it being a 348. The 349, which superseded the 348, was produced a little later. If you can post a photo of the rear silencer that would help to identify which you have.

I don't necessarily love every moment when I ride a trial. But I hate it if I don't.

Thanks Baldilocks, interesting to get your view.

As an aside, I hadn't realised you'd gone TRS. Which one do you have? Any general comments on how it compares?

Fiat Doblo would do well for you. I use the car version, in fact have just bought a second one, which takes two bikes side by side with the rear seat removed, so with the van they should roll straight in. Excellent comfort and fuel economy, and purchase price should be reasonable. In your position I'd probably look for the car version anyway, which you could use as a van, with windows blacked out if you wish with adhesive tint, without the lower speed limits which vans have imposed on them.

Have you considered retarding the ignition to cool down the lively response the bike has at the moment? My Scorpa, with Sherco motor, has the ignition backed off a bit which makes it much better for controlled slow riding. Simply achieved (and at no cost) by slackening the backplate bolts behind the flywheel, rotating the plate a touch and clamping it up again. Also you can experiment with different degrees of adjustment to get the feel you want. There is advice on this on the net, from memory the Sherco instructions on Ryan Young's website show this.

For value, I've found the Wulfsport trials boots to be pretty good. They can be had for about £102 on eBay at the moment, and from my point of view perform fine. If you regard boots as a disposable item rather than a once in a lifetime purchase, they make good sense. You could easily spend more than double for other boots which might end up in the bin anyway in, what, 2/3 years?

Lack of time, working full time, family commitments, bills to pay: sounds like almost every trials rider I know, but somehow they manage to turn up most weeks.

All other things being equal, the Fantic would be the better long term investment to hang on to and enjoy in the meantime.

I think Henry Cole picked up one of these last year on the Shed and Buried programme he does on TV, and flogged it to a dealer who specialises in them. If you try contacting him via his website www.henrycole.tv you might get him to give you the dealer's details.

Yes, "crisp" is probably a good description of the noise you'll get. Not at all the quiet and soft tone of a lot of modern bikes.

The make of bike ridden by the winner of a world round, or indeed British championship trial, has zero influence on my buying choice because I don't use a bike to do that sort of thing. I might, however, be influenced by the experience of a rider on the same sections I ride. For example, if a clubman rider turned up on, say, a Vertigo and started getting better results than he did on, let's say, his previous Beta then I'd sit up and take notice, have a chat with him, scrounge a ride on his bike and, possibly, buy one. Or I might decide it wouldn't improve my results any more than a new tyre and a bit more practice would. Either way, what Bou or Dabill are doing wouldn't come into it.

Dan - What engine size is yours? Did you try the other options before deciding on this size?

Some of the thinking behind altering twinshock trials suspension is I think more around raising the rear end as opposed to changing the leverage/moment of the suspension itself, the aim being to achieve the effect of steepening the head angle. Fitting longer units also achieves this.

From experience of watching (and riding) the SSDT in the 70s and spectating recently, I believe there are few sections remaining of the traditional, straightforward "blast up a rocky path" type which I think Dadof2 means. Most sections now are more brutal, involving launching over huge rocks or up severe waterfalls or steps. You'll still be riding over the traditional going, but between sections rather than in them.

He'd just been given a 5 for riding outside the marker tape on the previous section, resulting in a medium sized tantrum.

Electric Motion solves that problem to a large extent.

I do agree with trapezeartist. If I observe I do it because I want to, not for thanks. Seeing others enjoy the event in their own way is thanks enough. I accept that some members of the human race aren't disposed towards offering thanks or even smiling. I'd rather they be themselves than blurt an unfeeling "thanks for observing" just because they've been programmed to do it.

www.tmxnews.co.UK/news/bike-tests-s15/The-ONE-Show-TRS-One-250-Test